great blizzard gathering strength and poised to bear down on millions of american families across the northeast. Experts say it could be the worst snowstorm in a century. Our extreme weather team is on the storm front and abc's ginger zee is out where the storm is about to move in. Ginger? Reporter: Diane, this may look like a mountain of snow, but it's not. This is 100,000 tons of salt that I'm standing on. I've got some right here in my hand. It is one of so many tools that millions of americans will use as we prepare for this major winter storm. From new york to boston, the winter weather arsenals are prepped and ready for blizzard war. And those in charge of the snowy battle are keeping their commands simple. Stay off the streets of our city. Basically, stay home. Reporter: In a chaotic salem, massachusetts supermarket -- the fire department was called in, because there were just too many people stocking up. All the provisions, the junk food, the real food. The water. Reporter: Here's how it all goes down. A storm slamming the great lakes now will join forces with another one from the south, combined, it forms a monster nor'easter that will sit and spin just off the coast. And then the wind. Gusts from 50 to 60 miles an hour from philadelphia to boston. We have more than 250,000 tons of salt on hand. Our sanitation workers will work split 12-hour shifts, starting AT 7:00 p.M. Reporter: They'll need it. New york has 6,300 miles of streec streets to throw. That's like going from new york city to los angeles and back. Wind and tons of snow is the last thing they need in new york city, where folks in staten island are still using tents after superstorm sandy. Hopefully we can supply them with enough food, hot food, you know, to get them through, you ow, before the storm starts. Reporter: This storm comes 35 years after the historic blizzard of 1978. Two feet of snow and 70-pl 70-plus-mile-an-hour winds paralyzed the northeast. What you're looking at are 50-foot tall cliffs of salt. It's really impressive out here. And they expect another 60,000 tons to be delivered tomorrow morning, before the storm. What I expect is to be using these tomorrow at this time, because -- they're ski goggles, I'll need them, with all the wind and snow. A blizzard that fierce. Thank you, ginger. And now, sam champion is here, so, sam, what about the conditions, if you're going to need goggles for this blizzard? Reporte ABSOLUTELY. It is blizzard. The worst word we can pull out. Brutal, blinding snow. We have warnings out for seven states here. Basically stretches from new york all the way through boston and into portland. If you look at all the states, 43 million people in the path of that storm. And with this, we're talking about, well, to get a blizzard, you have to 35-mile-an-hour winds and that blowing snow for at least three hours. We're going to have winds much worse than that. Worse than 35 miles per hour? Reporter: Yeah. There are hurricane force wind warnings just offshore from long island off the coast of cape cod. So, we're going have 50, 60, 70-mile-an-hour winds in this storm. It's going to be just terrible conditions. Want to guess about the snow totals at this point? A lot of it is a big guess. This is the kind of snow that will shot down cities. A lot of people involved in this. Right now, 10 to 14 inch snowfall amaunt, looking for maybe a foot around new york city. Boston see some of the worst conditions with 18 to 24 inches of snow. In massachusetts, vermont and into maine, an inland area, d diane, that comes in with the wind and more than two feet of snow by the time we're done with won "world news" on saturday night. Going to be a big day for you tomorrow, for all of us. Thank you, sam.

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